Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-27
SATURDAY, AUGUST 81, 1887.
Have n Care, Brethren.

SATUh DALI AOUpSA 80 Aoo'
Have n Care, Brethren.
For our part we have no objection
to the ''boom" reported from Central
California. In fact, we like it. What
is there in any possible growth and
expansion of the Northern and Central
counties to excite aught save a senti-
ment of lively satisfaction in any we'll
meaning Californian? But we see
nothing that prevents us from giving
some suggestions to the leading pro-
iectors of these booms. A reasonable
growth is a quite natural thing in any
portion of California. In some por-
fions of this State there will be a
growth which would look unreasona-
BILE anywhere else. When General
Winfield Scott Hancock came out to
California after the election of 1880
the people of Los Angeles gave him
public reception, as they ought to
have done, not only from the consid-
Grafton of his personal, public and
patriotic merits, but from the circum-
stance that he had spent some years
of his public career in an official ca
pacity in Los Angeles. The
writer happened to be the
President Of the Day in this
cordial and enthusiastic public dem
onstr alton, and for seven or eight
hours he was thrown much in contact
with Gen. Hancock, who unreservedly
EXPIRE ssed the opinion that Los An
geles county was destined to be the
most thickly settled portion of the
Am erican continent. Gen. Hancock
enforced these views by arguments
which had been often before and
were frequently afterwards developed
in the HERALD. The writer had also
been on the Committee appointed by
Democrats to receive and entertain
Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks on his
visit to Los Angeles shortly after Mr..
Wheeler had been counted in to the
position to which Mr.. Hendricks had
been elected in 1876. This dis
Hoosier even at that date
precisely the ideas which
Gen. Hancock developed at a later
date. All California ought to have a
"boom," but, in the judgment of
these distinguished gentlemen, and
myriads of others, Los Angeles county
ought to be particularly SO favored.
Well. we have had a "boom." We
apply this phrase to it because there
seems to be an exigent demand on
the part of the public that it should be
adopted for the purpose of expressing
here, at least, natural and legiti-
mate growth. But we would beg par
to remind all the world and
the rest of mankind that this "boom"
has already lasted six years and bids
fair to last for the next sixty and six
years, and it will so last simply be-
cause it is an incident in a great trans
continental development below the
snow line conjoined to remarkable
of remunerative production.
The great wonder as to Los Angeles
county and Southern California is not
that we should have "boom," but
that it should have been SO long de-
layed.
Thus, after having had an expert
ence of "booms," which, we modestly
urge, ought to h ave converted us into
an expert, we intend to deal in some
words of caution to our Northern
friends as to the management of a
boom which is partly artificial
and partly natural. For instance,
the Los Angeles movement began
with great stretches of capital lands,
ofproducing exquisite oranges
and prolific vineyards, selling at from
IS to $40 an acre. In the gradual ad-
vance of such lands to figures at which
they have been selling in Santa Clara,
and ALAMEDA counties for twen-
ty years, there were enormous margins
Of profit. There was, for instance,
even in this city, something fascina-
ting and unparalleled, necessarily in
yolving a boom, in the growth of the
population from ii 300 in 1880 to at
least sixty thousand in 1887, a period
Of seven years. Anyone who is in any
legree conversant with political econ
,my knows that such expansion in
population necessarily means a great
Increase in prices in real estate.
Now if San Jose, Santa Rosa, Oak
and and Milpitas are growing at the
ate of nerly six hundred per cent. in
even years their boom will last. If
Iot, not. Then it must be borne in
mind that county lands in Los An
,sles started at from IS to $40 an acre,
nd not at from 500 to 5000
n acre. For instance, to sustain our
,osition, the other day, when the
'quthern Pacific Railway, the Atchis-
=, Topeka 4 Santa Fe Railway, Mr..